134
7. There were 6 deaths and 2 executions during the year, and 27 prisoners were released on medical grounds.
8. The sanitary condition of the Gaol was good.
9. There were 2,344 reports against prisoners for breaches of prison discipline, being an average per prisoner of 4.82 as compared with 2,459 with an average per prisoner of 5.66 for the preceding year, and 4,038 with an average per prisoner of 7 9 in 1898. There were 7 cases in which corporal punishment was awarded during the year.
10. The industrial employment of prisoners remains the same as last year. There were 2,265,291 forms printed and issued during the year, and 5,966 books were bound during the same period. The value of the work done in the Printing Department amounted to $17,365.57. Deducting the cost of type, paper, etc. from the earnings, the net profits amounted to $12,064.46. The total profits on all industrial labour amounted to $17,458.34.
11. All the improvements in the Gaol have been completed. The new wing, however, has not been opened, as the locks for the doors have only just arrived from England. The building of the new quarters for the Staff proceeds slowly.
12. The Gaol at the present time contains 500 separate cells (78 of which are just about to be opened), and 14 association cells.
Five hundred and fourteen prisoners can thus be confined on the separate system -the only satis- factory one-while 56 more prisoners could be accommodated on emergency by putting 5 prisoners in each association cell. This gives a total capacity of 570 prisoners. The daily average number of prisoners was last year 486, and on occasions, by no means of emergency, as many as 598 prisoners were confined at one and the same time, while the numbers for several weeks in the hottest weather were over 570. The accommodation is therefore already insufficient, and I have accordingly to point out that the building of a new prison for convicts should receive early consideration.
The conduct of the Gaol Staff has been good. From February to October, the Deputy Superin- tendent of Police acted as Superintendent of the Gaol, while I was acting as Colonial Secretary.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
The Honourable
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY.
(A.)
F. II. MAY,
Superintendent.
VICTORIA GAOL.
Return of Reports for the talking, idling, short vakum picking, &c., in the years 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, and 1900.
MONTH.
1896. Daily average number in Prison,
1897. Daily average number in Prison,
1898. Daily average number in Prison,
-1899. Daily average number in Prison,
514.
462.
510.
434.
1900. Daily average number in Prison, 486.
January,
214
200
170
60
58
February,
209
161
113
73
97
March,
249
147
165
95
82
April,
257
154
213
192
73
May,
270
191
223
69
90
June,..
261
166
241
134
90
July,
191
142
282
65
138
August,
192
159
331
100
163
September,
213
132
274
121
159
October,
174
160
227
127
201
November,
174
151
131
158
135
December,
188
140
100
90
127
Total,.
2,592
1,903
2,470
1,284
1,413
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